Battery Pack Control for Cell-Level Charge and Discharge Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery systems face challenges in maintaining battery charge storage capacity and avoiding failure due to improper charging and discharging practices, leading to safety and reliability issues, especially when battery cells operate outside their design tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A battery monitoring and management system that includes a data storage device and a computing device to monitor and manage battery pack parameters, such as state of health, state of charge, voltage, and temperature, to optimize charging and discharging processes, ensuring that each battery cell operates within its optimal range and that weak cells are identified and managed accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If battery cells are charged and discharged intermittently rather than continuously, then flexibility in usage is improved, but it becomes more difficult to keep cells within tolerance and maintain reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors individual cell voltages, temperatures, and charge states, and dynamically adjusts charging/discharging parameters based on real-time feedback. The controller modifies current distribution to maintain all cells within safe operating tolerances even during intermittent operation patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging and discharging parameters are made dynamic rather than static. The system adapts current profiles, voltage thresholds, and temperature limits based on real-time cell conditions and usage patterns, allowing flexible intermittent operation while maintaining reliability through continuous parameter optimization.
2Power
If battery cells operate outside their design tolerances, then power output may be increased, but temporary or permanent loss of charge storage capacity occurs and failure risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes operating parameters (current, voltage, temperature limits) based on real-time cell conditions. By adjusting these parameters within safe boundaries, the system maximizes power output while preventing operation that would cause capacity loss or failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes safe operating boundaries and preventive thresholds before failure can occur. By monitoring cell states continuously and taking preliminary protective actions (reducing current, adjusting voltage) before tolerance violations occur, the system prevents capacity loss while maintaining maximum safe power output.
3Power
If multiple battery cells are electrically connected to form a battery pack, then greater electrical characteristics are achieved, but weak cells create safety and reliability issues such as overcharge or under-discharge
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is managed as segmented independent units with individual monitoring and control for each cell. The system tracks voltage, temperature, and charge state of each cell separately, allowing differential charging/discharging control to prevent weak cells from causing pack-level safety issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary between the multiple battery cells and the external charging/discharging system. It balances current distribution among cells, prevents overcharge/under-discharge of individual cells, and ensures pack-level safety while maintaining the electrical characteristics provided by the multi-cell configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of battery packs is provided in communication with an energy monitoring and control system. Each battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells that collectively dictate the capabilities of the battery pack. The energy monitoring and control system determines a plurality of pack charging or pack discharging parameters for each battery pack that, when performed, achieve one or more performance metrics at a user level (e.g., performance metrics of each battery pack within a system of multiple battery packs). The battery pack further determines a plurality of cell charging or cell discharging parameters for each battery cell based upon the determined plurality of pack charging or pack discharging parameters for each battery cell that, when performed, achieve one or more performance metrics at a battery level (e.g., performance metrics of different cells of each battery pack).